Nov. 28th—The sun has risen an hour since.—At last the drum was beaten to shew that our Jason, Suliman Kashef, was awake and permitted Selim Capitan to set sail. We had left the two tree-islands, Genna and Sial, on the right, and turned to the left shore. I now found confirmed what I had already remarked—namely, that throughout the left shore, there are not any heights or downs, as on the right. Therefore the stream exercises a far greater dominion over the former, as is plainly seen by the extensive wooded country being inundated. The wide brink of the shore appears principally to lie on the right side of the river, and generally above the level of the left side, which circumstance, perhaps, might be accounted for from the cutting down of the Ethiopian Highlands. We also remarked, from the edge of the right shore being torn away, that a more fertile soil has covered the lower earth, and that the stratum of land is only upon the surface, whereon the downs lay. We found yesterday, near the Island of Tauowàt, a shining black, sandy earth, which Mr. Arnaud called mud: the naturalist, Thibaut, on the contrary, declared it was ferruginous earth; it was, however, nothing else than black volcanic sand. It was mixed with clay, and looked like the laminæ of sifted iron dross; small black crystals formed nearly a third of the component parts, (pyroxene and horne blende, according to appearance). It seemed to have been brought here from the eastern side by a gohr now filled up with mud, or by an old channel of the river, and formed on the shore a layer of about a foot high, above which again was the usual earth strongly alloyed with sand. I had already seen on the right shore volcanic productions. It would therefore be interesting to follow these traces with the gohr into the interior, in order to explain these phenomena in Central Africa.
We quitted the before-mentioned Island of Schèbesha, on the left, and arrived at ten o’clock on the Island of Gùbesha, nearly two hours’ long. If the right shore has unprotected places where the water enters deep into the trees, the inundation also extends so far on the left shore, that the eye may follow over the plain the glistening of the water through cavities and decayed wood. The Island of Hassamë, also very woody, comes directly after Gùbesha, and is soon succeeded by the Duème, which is covered with wood. These islands, according to the eye, extend in a line from south to north. About noon, we had the last-named island at our side, and, for the first time, put into the left shore. Here Mustapha Bey had established a Saghië (a water-wheel, for the purpose of irrigation); and many things of the same kind, as well as a settlement, would have followed, if the good man had not been poisoned. In the neighbourhood of Khartùm, Ahmed Basha, fearing his influence with the population would not permit the purchase of land, as the Bey declared to me himself. He also related his campaigns, in which he reached the “Gazelle River,” and a large lake, from whence the White River issues, and which must be that lake the first expedition sailed through. This is the last place where we shall pass the night ashore, for it behoves us to be secure from the natives. I did not examine our landing-place till the sun was going down, because it did not appear to me advisable to go to the chase with my huntsmen, and to expose myself to the heat of 29 degrees.
The acclivities here extend far backwards into the country, and afford a proportionate extensive survey. I ascended the nearest hill, and was not a little surprised to find, in and upon the black earth, a number of fragments of earthenware, and pieces of burnt brick, as likewise decayed and consumed conchylia. I soon perceived also, new graves, belonging to the small village near at hand, which convinced me that I was standing in an old churchyard, to which the new one joins, because the Moslems never bury another person in the place where once a body has lain. The number of conchylia is easily explained: it is the custom of the people to secure their graves in this manner against wild beasts, which would otherwise root them up; for they always cover them with broken white flints, which do not exist here. This village is new, and was founded by a Faki, a native of the country, who lived a long time in Hejàz, and by the aid of Kurshid Basha, who wanted to make it a strong station. The people, as well as their village, are called on that account Hejasi, which I continually heard pronounced Ajazi; and took for a national name—as the respected Burckhardt did the Ajazi, in Sennar,—until the corrupted word was explained to me etymologically. Not a soul came from the village to welcome us, and an embassy was sent just as little on our side, to fetch a Don gratuit, or Viaticum, since the pious devotees of this place are called, naas batalin (malignant people), and therefore I was immediately recalled from my excursion.
Suliman Kashef was vexed at the non-appearance of the Faki, and was of opinion that he was a devil (Afritt), who must however be spared. Here, in the vicinity of Pagan nations, these Hejazi form a kind of missionary establishment, at the head of which is the Faki as the Sheikh, who, far from imitating the luxurious ostentation of other missionaries in the East, has arrived at last by mortification and eloquence at a self-consecration, and has gained a great number of adherents, even in Darfur, where the Islam has been spread for some time past. He has known also how to maintain his authority by a judicious use of fire-arms; for his rabble of pilgrims are fanatical and insolent. Their slaves, converted per fas et nefas, are the most zealous adherents of the Koran, when they have once breathed the air of Mecca, and return as free Hajjis, to their country, though they have generally only learnt the usual prayer “Allah Akbar,” with the short confession of faith, “La illah ul ullah wa Mohammed Rassúl Alla” (there is no God but God, and Mohammed is the prophet of God).
This formula is sung without intermission, in funeral ceremonies, keeping time to the trot, rather than to the walk of the bearers of the corpse. It is a formula which every traveller here should remark; although I, for my part, have never made use of it, except for a joke with my brother, when he or I lay sick in bed of a fever, and desponding. As the apothecary Bartoli, in Khartùm, a year ago, repeated directly before his death this formula, as a piece of wit which happened to be his last words, the Muslíms, who were present, wanted to carry him immediately to their churchyard, and to return thanks to God for having enlightened him with the true belief.
Kurshid Basha ordered Saghiës to be built here, at his own cost, for the Hejazi; but the scaffolding for them is only to be seen now. I believe, from the various traces of earlier and extensive agriculture, to which these heights owe indeed their irriguous formation, that the fragments of bricks and the potsherds I had just found, belonged to an earlier city, which had fallen to ruin, or been destroyed, and which perhaps stood on the site of the old churchyard. The hill, about thirty feet high, being so close to the water, must have invited a settlement at a very early time. It is clearly perceptible that the water by the river-side has carried away a good deal of the hill. This may have been sufficient cause, for the inhabitants of the city, to desert it entirely. It is true that the soil is here also dark in its lower strata; but it is, however, very strongly alloyed with sand, and has but little resemblance to the greasy and slimy soil of Lower Egypt, and even to the shore of the blue Nile. The process of fecundation in the inundations of the Nile, consists indeed in the vegetable remains of the neighbouring forests, and abundant marsh-plants, which have been washed away, settling and depositing themselves afterwards as a humus, when they have been amalgamated by continual rotation with particles of clay and sand from the dark yellow Nile water, till they become a liquid pap. On the shores of the White Stream the woods are too near, and therefore their fallen leaves are carried away before the vegetable process can have properly taken place. For this reason I account for the fertility being so much less in proportion. After all, I believe that the Blue river is the real parent of Egyptian fertility, and that there was more; before the Dam, thrown up by it on the right ride, prevented it from carrying away also the leaves from the eastern forests. The Atbara and the smaller influxes of the right shore of the blue Nile above, still remain perfect canals of fecundity; and it is plainly seen by their darker colour that they separate at high-water.
Our Frenchmen, this afternoon, set about calculations with a great air of importance, although they did not appear to be well. Sebatier has had an attack of siriasis, and Arnaud has also lost much of his pathos. I hear with astonishment that the calculations made hitherto by these gentlemen, are said to agree to a hair’s breadth with those made by Selim Capitan in the preceding year. Strange! But I don’t believe in such an exact coincidence. It is much more probable that the Turk, being a naval officer, has far more experience than the all-knowing Frenchmen; and that the latter, being well aware of it, adopted their predecessors’ calculations without any scruple.
Selim Capitan laughed when he yesterday instructed Arnaud in handling the instruments. Thibaut remarked this as well as myself; and it perfectly corresponds with the expressions of Sabatier, who calls his colleague an ignoramus, because he abandons to him the calculations he does not know how to make himself.
At a distance of twelve hours’ journey from the before-named Hill of potsherds, near the village of Hejazi, is seen, towards the south-west, a considerable mountain. It is called Bihtsh; which name is found also in the islands of Philæ. I could not find any such word in the language by which I could judge of the analogy of the two mountains. The Gebel Bihtsh is said to contain silver; and at Masgerag Tain it is asserted that silver has been found up the country, from whence came the present, which the Sheikh of Wadi Shileï in that country brought to Suliman Kashef. This present was a stick, curved at the top, some two feet longer than the one in common use from Korosko hither; and though only of the thickness of a finger, was called Hassaie,—an expression which is used besides for a heavy club. This pastoral sceptre was very prettily overlaid with silver, and the ornaments on it merely engraved with a bad knife; and, considering such a wretched instrument, they were of marvellous fineness. In Sennaar, as well as in Kordofan, they know how to wire-draw gold and silver; to make remarkably beautiful zerfs (the inlaid stands of coffee cups), and sword-handles from these metals, displaying good taste; although, particularly in the last-mentioned articles, where crowns as the head-top, and the form of the cross, are engraved on the handle, the whole representing a knight’s sword, called Sefbanbrah; the West and the Crusades have afforded them models.